Dr. Benjamin Rush - Philadelphia, PA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

The entrance to the cemetery is along Arch Street. Admission is $2. Go through the iron gates and proceed down the left path a little more than half of the way down, then look to the left and you will see a black bench against the wall. To the right is Rush's grave. The Burial Ground is open March-December (weather permitting). Hours are: Monday-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 12-4.

• Dr. Benjamin Rush (1745?-1813) Signer of the Declaration of Independence. Rush is known as both "The Father of American Medicine" and "The Father of American Psychiatry." The latter title was bestowed because Dr. Rush showed that mental illness could be treated with kindness. He was one of the few brave Philadelphians who stayed in the city during the dread summer of 1793 to battle Yellow Fever. It was Rush who inoculated Patrick Henry against smallpox as well. The distinguished doctor founded Dickinson College and the Philadelphia Dispensary. He was a supporter of the abolition of slavery prior to the Revolution. Buried with Dr. Rush is his wife Julia Stockton Rush, the Daughter of Richard Stockton, who was also a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the poet Annis Boudinot Stockton.

The inscription on his grave cover is no longer legible. Only small parts can be vaguely read, and that is not definite. Like most other notable burials in this cemetery, a new markers has been installed with the original inscription. The original inscription, now on a black plaque with gold trim reads:

BENJAMIN RUSH, M.D.
1745 - 1813
Father of America Psychiatry
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Heroic Physician, Teacher, Humanitarian
Physician General of the Continental Army
Physician to the Pennsylvania Hospital
Professor of Physic, University of Pennsylvania
Erected April 19, 1965

On the side of an above the ground grave (Which I believe to be Rush's grave) is a small plaque which reads:

The College Of
Physicians of Philadelphia
Celebrating its Bicentennial
Restored and Rededicated
The Grave Of
Benjamin Rush, M.D.
A Founder of the College
April 26, 1987

The assemblage of markers and stones at Rush's grave site is confusing and disorganized. From what I could tell, the tall one, above ground, in the center is his as his name is upon it. That grave is flanked by two lower ones, with grave covers as well. The new stone with the plaque erected in the 60s in to the left of his stone in front of an unidentified grave, possible his wife or daughter.

Description: Benjamin Rush (January 4, 1746 [O.S. December 24, 1745] – April 19, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush lived in the state of Pennsylvania and was a physician, writer, educator, humanitarian and a Christian Universalist, as well as the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Date of birth: 01/04/1746 Date of death: 04/19/1813 Area of notoriety: Medicine Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: The Burial Ground is open March-December (weather permitting). Hours are: Monday-Saturday 10-4, Sunday 12-4 Fee required?: Yes Web site: [Web Link]

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